Published: October 9, 2017, words by Harriet Shephard

Tinnitus is no new phenomenon. Beethoven had it. Michelangelo wrote about it. Phil Collins suffers from it. So why do we keep ignoring it? We’ve all experienced the ringing or buzzing in our ears after a night out that dissolves into nothingness as our hangovers fade, but for some, that ringing is an incessant and debilitating fact of life. All Ears campaign is here to change that.

10% of the British population suffer from tinnitus, but some are so habituated to the condition that they don’t realise they have it. Google tinnitus and you’ll soon find yourself down a rabbit hole of conflicting opinions and unproven theories. Many sites equate tinnitus with hearing loss, but the truth is that many sufferers have above-average hearing and are often hyper-sensitive to noise.

What is certain about tinnitus is that high noise environments put you at greater risk. It’s no surprise, then, that a global roster of DJs are sufferers. DJs Carl Craig, Richie Hawtin and Erol Alkan have all spoken about their condition and the ways in which they try to cope with it. Craig told DJ Broadcast that his coping mechanism is acceptance. “You’ll never get rid of it,” he stresses, “so you have to train your brain to ignore it… You have to see it as a positive thing.”

In typical catch 22 style, the only real ‘cure’ for tinnitus is prevention. Wearing earplugs means you don’t have to avoid doing what you love – and hearing protection has come on in leaps and bounds since those bulky yellow foam earplugs (which are still better than nothing). Clubs and bars that expose you to noise over 85db are obliged to provide you with free earplugs. And there are now many brands that provide discreet high-fidelity hearing protection that allows you to party safely, without compromising on great sound.

All Ears campaign is dedicated to raising awareness of tinnitus and encourage the use of earplugs. In partnership with Alpine Hearing Protection, we’ve teamed up with some of the UK’s biggest events and nightclubs to promote safe clubbing. We’ll be selling Alpine’s high-fidelity earplugs across participating venues nationwide. Find us at Corsica Studios, Village Underground, Oval Space, Motion and more.

In conjunction with our All Ears campaign, we’ve reached out to many artists who suffer with tinnitus (or those who advocate the use of hearing protection) to bring you an ongoing Tracks Of The Day takeover. Themed “tracks for tired ears”, all the artists in this page have provided music that helps sooth their ears in times of increased stress and tiredness. So sit back, relax and enjoy the beautiful selection of ambience and meditative sound selected by these artists.

To find out more about our All Ears campaign, get advice for coping with tinnitus, and purchase high-fidelity earplugs, head to our website allearscampaign.com. We’re also giving away a free pair of earplugs every week to our All Ears subscribers, so subscribe via our website to be in with a chance of winning each week!

For further reading, make sure you check out Resident Advisor’s comprehensive guide to tinnitus for music lovers here.